Grade 5 Word Building Worksheet

Grade 5 Word Building Practice

Read each question carefully and follow the instructions to demonstrate your understanding of prefixes, suffixes, and root words.

Understanding Prefixes

A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. For example, 'un-' means 'not', so 'unhappy' means 'not happy'.

1. What does the prefix 're-' mean? Write a word using 're-' and its meaning.

2. Circle the word that means 'to see before'.

Suffixes and Their Meanings

A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or part of speech. For example, '-ful' means 'full of', so 'helpful' means 'full of help'.

1. Add a suffix to the word 'quick' to make an adverb. What does the new word mean?

2. Which suffix would you add to 'act' to mean 'the state of being able to act'?

Root Words

A root word is the basic part of a word that carries the main meaning. Prefixes and suffixes are added to root words.

1. The root word 'port' means 'carry'. What does 'transport' mean?  

2. The root word 'bio' means 'life'. What does 'biology' mean?  

3. The root word 'graph' means 'write'. What does 'autograph' mean?  

Building Words

Use your knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and root words to answer the following questions.

1. If 'un-' means 'not' and 'happy' is the root word, what does 'unhappiness' mean? Explain how the suffix '-ness' changes the meaning.

2. The word 'invisible' contains a prefix and a root word. Identify both and explain their contribution to the word's meaning.

Match the Word Parts

Match each word part on the left with its correct meaning on the right.

Word Bank Challenge

Use the prefixes and suffixes below to create new words from the given root words. Write the new word and its meaning.

1. Root word: agree

2. Root word: care

3. Root word: kind